Carpet Bagging: A Buyer's Guide

Carpet Bagging: A Buyer's Guide

Here's what to look for when shopping for an antique rug.

AGE

The older the rug, the higher the value is the general rule of thumb. Like a favorite T-shirt, antique rugs get more malleable over time. The corners of rugs hand-woven in Turkey, Iran and Central Asia a century ago or more tend to "flop around" more readily than newer, machine-made models, says Kurt Munkacsi, an expert on tribal rugs. When shopping, grab a corner and see how easily it bends.

COLOR

The key factor in determining a rug's value is whether it's made with natural dyes (like the Caucasian rug below) or synthetic ones. Collectors who might pay $12,000 for a rug colored with dyes from mashed vegetables and insects won't pay more than $200 for the same style dyed with chemicals that more easily fade, Mr. Munkacsi says. Make sure the rug's surface isn't lighter than its roots—"tip fading" is a telltale sign the dye isn't natural.

CONDITION

Ancient weavers primarily used wool, so pricier rugs tend to boast lustrous, silky fibers pulled from well-fed breeds like the fat-tail sheep. Mughals sheared pashmina goats, and camel hair was popular among desert tribes. Run your hand over the carpet to check the evenness of the carpet's pile. Lumpy sections or bald patches will hurt its value: "I walk on my rugs, but only in slippers—no leather shoes allowed," Mr. Munkacsi says.

WEAVE

Retail rug salesmen may revel in their rugs' high knot counts, boasting of 1,200 knots in a single inch, but ancient weavers weren't so particular. Some Caucasian rugs only have 50 knots per square inch, and 400 knots is a common figure. This Kurdish Bidjar rug has around 80 knots per square inch. Rather than focusing on knot count, novice buyers should instead inspect the rug's design for crisp lines with no blurring. Quirky design inconsistencies also give tribal rugs their folk-art appeal.

IMAGERY

The symbols woven into antique rugs offer clues to the pieces' origins and rarity. The fan-tailed peacock pictured below was the signature design of the Akstafa, a single group of Kazak weavers living southwest of the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Common symbols include stars and medallion shapes, often representing heaven and earth; flowering vases and seed pods symbolize prosperity. "Every region had its own weaving language, so the rug's design is actually recording its history," says Mr. Munkacsi.

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What Some of Our Customers Are Saying...

What Some of Our Customers Are Saying...

"Rug Decor has the best customer service I've experienced in a long time. Huge selection and competitive prices. We'll be back for sure for all of our future rug purchases."

—Anonymous

"On a recent trip to St. Louis we visited your Rug Decor store. We have been rug shopping for months and have not found any store with the extensive selection of quality rugs we found at Rug Decor. Even more impressive was the service we received. Everyone we came into contact with was friendly and helpful. We worked with Shannon who was knowledgeable, able to answer our many questions, and worked with us patiently to help us find the perfect rug for our family room. We were able to try it out in our room to make sure it was what we wanted. My husband and I were so satisfied with the quality of the rug and the service that I decided to make the 740 mile round trip to St. Louis to find two more rugs. Again the experience was exceptional!"

—Barb Reiff - Ankeny, Iowa

"I purchased a new rug from Rug Decor of Charleston. I would also like to compliment Karen Freischlag. She was very helpful and made shopping with your company very enjoyable "

—Tony Oliver

"I just want to say how pleased I am with the service I received from your store in Eastern Shore Alabama. Everyone was so friendly, especially Ron who brought the rug out to my car. Very pleasant experience. Could you pass this on?"

—Laurie

Summer at Rug Decor

Summer is just around the corner, so stop by a Rug Decor near you to match your summer palate to any of our exquisite area rugs! Whatever style or colors you choose for the new season, our experts will work personally with you to guarantee an excellent area rug match for your home. Bright blues and cool reds are the latest summer color trends, and we have hundreds of rugs to match your selection for the hottest months of the year. Bring your palate in today!

Rug Pads at Rug Decor

Quality padding used beneath your rug will help protect it from dirt, wear and slippage. Selecting and using the proper padding is crucial to the long-term health of your finely-crafted rug. Rug Decor sells only 100 percent PVC padding which, unlike natural rubber, will not damage floor varnish. We sell pads for laying...... rugs on top of wood floors, tile and carpet. One of our rug experts will help you select the right size and padding for your floor surface.

How Do I Care For My Rug?

This information comes from the World Floor Covering Association:

It’s important you understand that even though a handmade rug is a work of art, it’s made to be used and walked on.

Avoiding walking on your new area rug is like keeping a new car locked up in the garage undriven.

With usage, as the top layers of pile (in most cases wool) break, the pile looks shinier and smoother, and with light exposure the colors look more harmonious.

In fact, with proper use, handmade rugs generally become more valuable.

And what’s wrong with that?

Remember also that handmade rugs are not easily damaged, so enjoy your handmade rug without any worries.

Meanwhile, take the following few easy steps to make sure that your rug ages gracefully, naturally and beautifully.

Vacuuming is a good investment but there are strings attached.
You should vacuum or sweep your rug as you would wall-to-wall carpeting.

But be careful that the fringes don’t get pulled or sucked in by the vacuum cleaner.

For proper wear, turn, turn to this advice.
Rotate your rug 180 degrees every few months, or every year, depending on traffic patterns.

Rotation is necessary for two reasons. First, all parts of your rug should be exposed to light equally so that the colors fade evenly.

When colors are exposed to the sun evenly, they become harmonious and the rug ages nicely, but if different parts of the rug receive unequal amounts of sun exposure, over time, one side might look over faded and one side too bright.

Second, is traffic. All parts of the rug should be exposed to an equal amount of traffic so that the pile wears evenly.

Here’s the dirt on spot cleaning.
A water spill should be dried immediately with a hairdryer set on a warm temperature. Try to dry both sides of your rug if possible.

In case of a soft drink or alcohol spill, apply salt or baking soda to the spot for a few minutes to absorb the color of the drink.

Then vacuum off the salt or baking soda.

After vacuuming, use a wet towel to gently wipe the stain in the direction of the nap (the direction the pile faces).

You can wet the towel with regular or carbonated water. Be gentle; do not scrub your rug.

For old stains, take the rug to a professional handmade rug retailer. Do not try to clean old stains yourself.

Avoid washing anxiety, seek professional help.
Have your rug washed by a professional every 2 to 5 years depending on the amount of traffic on the rug.

It is important to have it washed professionally because, as the rug is used, dust, dirt and broken fiber get into the foundation.

Professionals dust the rug with special equipment to get all of these elements out of the foundation before washing the rug.

Then, they usually wash the rug by hand using natural soap.

They will also make sure the rug is dried from the surface to the foundation before it is used again.

Most handmade rug dealers and retailers offer appropriate cleaning services.

Do not take your rug to general carpet-cleaning companies because the techniques and chemicals they use for wall-to-wall carpets may not be appropriate for handmade rugs.

Do some undercover work.
Consult with your retailer about the proper padding to be placed under your rug.

Padding is an important element and will both stabilize and protect your rug.

Good padding also makes it safer to walk on your rug and will protect its value and appearance.

For rug repair, fix your attention here.
Repairing a handmade rug, similar to weaving, is very time consuming and labor intensive; as a result, repair can sometimes be costly.

Therefore, when considering repairing a rug, factor in the cost of repair in comparison to the value of the rug.

Sometimes, it is better if collectible items remain in their original state and not be repaired because their value might actually decrease by any change, even if the change appears good.

Getting the opinion of a professional is always a good idea. Most reputable handmade rug retailers offer you repair services.

Smart, regular care and upkeep will keep your area rugs looking great, and your home looking as beautiful, stylish and unique as ever.

It's Karastan Month

Karastan Month